It’s been 38 years since Arnold Schwarzenegger led a paramilitary team into a Central American rainforest to ‘rescue hostages.’ Unsurprisingly, the job wasn’t easy. In John McTiernan’s Predator, Dutch (Schwarzenegger) and his gun-totting colleagues encounter a deadly, technologically advanced extraterrestrial, who stalks and hunts them down. Since then, there have been six sequels as well as two crossovers with the Alien franchise. Fans would also be glad to know that Arnie is in talks to star in another follow-up.
Every franchise installment so far has been incredible, with the latest, Predator: Badlands, receiving extremely positive reviews from critics. However, many will always look back fondly on the first film, which not only had some of the best action sequences ever seen in cinema but also looked awesome, earning an Oscar for Best Visual Effects. That particular film also featured several memorable lines, mostly born of braggadocio, anger, fear, and banter. These are the best quotes from Predator.
10
“Stick around!”
Dutch
Before facing the Predator, Dutch’s team attacks the guerrilla camp, killing the enemy combatants and their Russian military allies. In one scene, the protagonist flings a long knife into the chest of a foe, impaling him on a wall. With the man firmly attached to the concrete, Dutch reminds his victim that he won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
Nice Throw, Arnie
Here, audiences marvel not just at the choice of words but at the ease with which Dutch gets rid of the soldier. Throwing such a large knife would take a lot of skill, but trust a strong person like Schwarzenegger to make it look like light work. The victim’s bewildered expression adds to the delight, and so does Dutch’s choice to leave the knife there instead of pulling it (Rambo would never waste a knife like that). He sure would have needed the weapon later, but he’d prefer the man to “stick around” rather than fall on the ground. Makes for great cinema!
9
“Been actin’ squirrelly all morning. That damned nose of his… It’s weird.”
Mac
Dutch notices that Billy is quite spooked, so he asks Mac what the problem is. Mac says he isn’t quite sure, saying the man has been acting strange for a while now. When Billy is asked, he starts talking about something strange that’s lurking in the trees. No one takes him seriously, but it doesn’t take them long to find out how bad the situation is.
Trust Billy
Mac is the typical movie tough guy, so he is understandably irked when Billy shows signs of fear and paranoia. He believes that no one in their position should ever be worried about anything, so he takes a dig at his colleague. Mac has a point, but Billy is right. The scared commando knows that the kind of foe they are facing this time is an unusual kind. It’s sad that everyone eventually finds out the hard way.
8
“Some damn fool accused you of being the best!”
Dillon
During the briefing of the mission, Dutch wonders why his team has been chosen to rescue the missing cabinet minister instead of the job being granted to the army. CIA agent Al Dillon responds sarcastically, implying that Dutch is being Captain Obvious here. What else could be the reason? Dutch’s men were chosen above everyone else because of their reputation for efficiency.
Tough Job For Tough Men
What’s Carl Weathers’ best role? Dillon is a great contender. The actor might have been great in the Rocky movies, but in this picture, he is perfect as an agent who is by turns perky and melancholic. His charisma shines through, making the rest of the unwitting characters look like extras. Here, Dillon gives a fitting yet silly answer to what is really a silly question. Dutch should know why he has been hired, right?
7
“If it bleeds, we can kill it.”
Dutch
Just as everyone seems hopeless, Anna informs Dutch that she has seen blood on the leaves, suggesting that the Predator might be wounded. This makes the protagonist extremely delighted. He figures that the creature isn’t as unbeatable as they thought. It can shed blood, meaning, like any animal. It can be killed.
Spotting the Weaknesses
Throughout the movie, Dutch’s unflagging enthusiasm keeps the whole delicate operation going. Things never look better, yet he continues to hope for the best and believes he will defeat the creature. His assessment is correct, since any living creature that bleeds will eventually die if it loses enough blood. We later learn that Dutch wasn’t being delusional. As someone who had been on battlefields numerous times before, he knew what it really took to weaken any enemy.
6
“You’re one ugly motherf****er.”
Dutch
In the movie’s final moments, Dutch faces the extraterrestrial hunter alone. At this point, the Predator finally removes its iconic armor, revealing one of the most grotesque sights ever witnessed on screen. Hideous isn’t a good enough word to describe the creature’s appearance, but trust Dutch to go with a synonym of that particular word, in a rather comical manner.
A Face Only Mama Could Love
The scene kinda makes us glad that Van Damme lost the role of the Predator. With him around, McTierman might have been tempted to offer us a Schwarzenegger vs. Jean Claude fight at the end. Consequently, the reveal would have shown the Cyborg star’s face instead of the “ugly mother***r.” While a duel between the two famous action stars would have been interesting to see, it wouldn’t have been as interesting as watching layers of alien skin piled on top of each other.
5
“What’s the matter? CIA got you pushing too many pencils?”
Dutch
Old buddies Dutch and Dillon are happy to see each other at the beginning of the movie. But Dillon’s a CIA man now, meaning he doesn’t get to do too much heavy lifting. As they are bantering, the two men engage in an arm-wrestling match in which Dillon shows signs of weakness. Expect Dutch to make fun of him because of that.
Dillon Might Need to Get on the Field More
We aren’t sure whether Schwarzenneger would have won against Weathers in a fair off-screen contest, but it’s beautiful to see such great bodybuilding actors put their strength to the test. Even better, the camera zooms in on their muscles and tight T-shirts, keenly showing who is gaining the upper hand. It’s all smiles after that, with both men vowing to make sure the mission is a success.
4
“Oh, okay. You got time to duck?”
Poncho
As the Predator is obliterating the men, Poncho informs Blain that he is bleeding. As the tough dude that he is, he claims he ain’t got time to bleed. Poncho then fires several rounds from his parabolic grenade launcher before asking Blain to at least find the time to duck, if he is too preoccupied to bleed.
The Situation’s Getting Out of Control
When the paramilitary unit unwittingly encroaches on the Predator’s position, things get thick, and they face an impossible dilemma: flee or engage. Poncho and Blain choose to engage, their decision having far-reaching and deadly ramifications. It’s nice to see Blain showing how badass he is. It’s also nice to see the more cautious Poncho reminding him to watch out. After all, he won’t have time for anything else if he doesn’t do a better job of protecting himself.
3
“Ol’ Painless is waitin'”
Blain
As the team is looking for the unknown enemy in the forest, Blain brags about his gun. He calls it Ol’ Painless, quite the ironic name for a weapon that causes so much pain. Blain declares that he and his gun are ready to take on whatever is out there, but he just doesn’t know how severe the situation is about to become. However, it proves useful early on when taking on the guerrillas.
The Daddy of All Weapons
It’s a shame that Ol’ Painless never gets much screentime. It’s quite a cool weapon, an M134 that fires several rounds at once. Ol’ Painless is also part of the old action movie trope where a character uses the lighter weapons first before taking out the big one. Blain initially just carries the weapon in his bag, using a Heckler & Koch MP5A3 instead. After the team discovers the skinned corpses of Jim Hopper and the rest of his team, Blain readies “Painless” for revenge.
2
“I’m gonna cut your name into him.”
Mac
Despite having one of the coolest weapons in the group, Blain becomes one of the first casualties. His death hits Mac hard, so he vows to get his revenge by cutting his slain friend’s name into the skin of whoever did it. At that point, no one really knows just how deadly the creature is, but Mac figures the revenge process will be easy.
Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Cold… Or Never
Variations of this quote exist in various action and military-themed movies. A character loses someone they deeply cared about, so they vow to get to “whoever did this.” It’s all cute, and, in most cases, revenge usually happens, but Mac really overestimates his vengeance capabilities on this occasion. He never gets to cut Blain’s name in the Predator. How could he? In such kinds of movies, the honor belongs to the central a** whooper.
1
“What… the hell… are… you?”
The Predator
In the film’s final standoff, Dutch gets the better of his opponent. He raises a rock over the Predator’s hideous head, but then drops it aside and studies the creature’s ghoulish appearance. Confused, he asks, “What the hell are you?” Interestingly, it stares back at him blankly and asks the same question.
And So It Ends
Whether the Predator genuinely doesn’t understand what species Dutch is or is just mocking him remains unclear, but the exchange is quite cool. Regrettably, the scene concludes in somewhat of an anticlimax. Mortally wounded, the creature activates a wrist-mounted self-destruct device, causing an explosion. Dutch quickly flees, barely escaping the flames that raze the area. Should he have just killed it without asking questions? A wise man named Tuco Ramirez once said, “If you want to shoot… shoot. Don’t talk.”
